As someone who isn't Indian and had no clue anything about Indian history, I can tell you this class was pretty difficult but its still possible to get an A. It was very difficult for me to follow along with Professor Lal because of the sheer amount of topics included in this course and how foreign they were to me. Even though I showed up to every lecture, I always felt like I was 3 lectures behind. There are a LOT of readings (about 150 pages a week) however, it is better to figure out earlier that you don't actually need to read all of it. Out of all the books he asks you to buy, my recommendation is to read the comic book first to learn some basic terms if you have no previous knowledge like me. Also focus more time on reading John Keay because it covers everything. I personally read the Ramayana and then sparknoted/read the Mahabharata and then basically skipped over any parts in all of the readings he doesn't mention in the lectures. Even though the class felt difficult, I felt the essay grading was pretty fair. I put a lot of effort into the Discussion group "review" essays and got As on all of them. The midterm and final was a pain in the ass though because of the crazy amount of essays, but you just have to hunker down and prepare thoroughly and then they will feel like much more straightforward questions. Our TA also made a point to mention the topics again that were likely going to be on tests which was helpful.

In his lecture slides, every time you see a chart, make sure to copy it down. I found that a lot of the essay questions were asking you to "explain the development of...." or "what were the causes of..." or " compare and contrast...." and things like that.

Overall, this class did help me become a faster writer and I definitely came out of it with a lot of new knowledge that I otherwise wouldn't have had if I didn't take this class.

In this class, discussions are worth 20%, the midterm is worth 30%, and the final is worth 50%. Your grade is largely dependent on the TA, because the TA is the only person who grades both exams and decides your discussion grade (at least, that's how it was this quarter).

It is not an easy A GE. I did receive an A, but I also put a lot of effort into the class and participated a lot in discussions. It's doable but depends on what you put in because neither lecture nor discussion is mandatory.

The 20% discussion grade is given holistically based on a few writing assignments and then participation. We can rewrite assignments for better grades and it's pretty easy to get full credit.

The midterm and final are essay responses and both rely on doing the readings, although only half of the readings assigned are useful. (Keay, Metcalfe, Thapar are best to know.) The questions are very direct and obvious, and all exam material was discussed in sections which was really helpful! Just make sure you have a thesis and you should be fine.

Professor Lal as a lecturer is clearly very knowledgeable, but he also tends to ramble and doesn't give clear answers if you ask questions or go to office hours. We were perpetually a few lectures behind in material and a lot of stuff was removed from the curriculum. Shantanu was my TA, and he decided most of the stuff that was written above. I liked him a lot and he allowed a rewrite of the midterm for a higher grade, which is nice, and he takes the time to meet with you personally if you have specific questions about writing. He's an awesome TA but Lal is just ok. The class itself is hard!

This class was definitely difficult, but I learned a lot. I'm from India too, and I thought this would be a breeze, but turns out I didn't know as much about pre-1800 India as I thought I did. Getting an A is hard work, but it's an A that shows you genuinely learn something new, instead of a grade that looks good without teaching you much. That's the basic tradeoff: the A is hard but worth it, so it's really up to you if you think you can put in the work for this class or not.

The class was graded 20% discussion (participation + 3 mid-quarter take-home reading reflection essays which you can re-write if you want a better grade), 30% midterm (which is take-home essay questions for a weekend and can also be re-written but better grade isn't guaranteed) and 50% final (which was a set of 10 essay questions from which you had to attempt 4, the choice was pretty extensive).

Although the readings were a lot, you can skim through them and just focus on the important bits. I personally found the readings super helpful, especially for mid-quarter essays. They do take up some time though, and I'd recommend a dedicated reading of the pages that are important, because some writers like John Keay really know what they're saying.

Professor Lal's lectures were interesting and informative, and I liked how he was very expressive and passionate (always moving his hands around :D ) about everything he taught, it made class engaging! I always made it to at least one of his two office hours per week (which I highly recommend going to!) where he was super quick about understanding my problems and giving clear answers, while always encouraging me to explore more in the subject. He can come off as opinionated when he criticizes certain viewpoints, but it's because Indian history today is being warped by dominant religious ideologies. I can tell you firsthand that it's important to keep this in mind when you read Indian history, to understand the real beauty of the land and its past.

I cannot stress this enough: attending lectures and discussions is SUPER important. Because India's history is so scattered and non-linear, the lectures and discussions are where the information is consolidated and you really know what topics you have to focus on when you study. Even if you have to miss class, lectures were almost always recorded, and when they weren't due to technical difficulties, he provided alternate sources like Youtube videos from past-quarter lectures.

My TA Shantanu H. was amazing! He always gave detailed comments on my essays, and his constructive criticism was surprisingly constructive. Basically, discussion sections are helpful if you focus and participate, because a lot of what is said shows up in papers or the final.

Overall, yes, you have to work hard and focus properly to do well in this class. But I enjoyed Hist-9A because I feel like I know so much more about India now than I did 10 weeks ago.

Professor Lal provides a balanced account of the vast saga, i.e. ancient Indian history. Though mildly unorganised, his lectures are gripping. Tests are fairly easy and graded by TAs leniently.

Selling the books for the Spring 2014 quarter. If interested contact at **********.

This class is one of the easiest if you know how to study smart. You do not need to do the assigned reading at all.. if you do, then you're just put extra work load on yourself. He's one of the few professors who clearly says "the important thing" "there's two things you need to know" and clarifies key points for you. So as long as you attend lectures and if you don't just podcast them, you should be good. come on how many professors at UCLA give you take home midterms and give you questions for the final before hand? OH, ATTENDANCE to discussions is 20% of the grade.. talk about easy points. go for it guys. easy A.

This guy is so awesome. I think he's listed as one of America's top 100 most dangerous professors or something for being so open about his ideas (like pointing out that many of us were there for a GE requirement or because we wanted to "be diverse"). Anyway, good class, he teaches you about history, not about the boring facts of history. That is, he doesn't care much about the tiny details as long as you understand the forces behind what happened. Sometimes, he gives an inside joke (if you understand his language, you're on the inside) that makes you feel kind of like an outsider, but they are kinda funny jokes once you find out what they mean (like how we've all probably heard of desi in some other form already.. haha).
Anyway, good teacher, not afraid to talk about what he thinks, and he won't bore you with too many tiny details of unimportance. He's also a really easy grader. I ended up with B-'s on both my midterm essays but I still got an A- for the class (but maybe the final screwed over others more... so I'm not too sure).

I took the History 9A: History of India. Pretty decent class in the morning. His lectures are interesting, and he normally writes on the board all the things he is going to discuss. The better the TA, the easier this class will be for you. I had a crappy TA, so all my knowledge came from lecture. As for all the readings he assigns, just skim them. But, GO TO LECTURE. There is no real textbook so Prof. Lal is the main source. The midterm is take-home, so it's not too bad. The final is intense though, 10 IDs and 4 essay questions. As long as you pay attention in lecture and study, it's not too bad. I ended up with an A-, which should've been an A if I cited more sources on my midterm.

Professor Lal was the best professor (by far) i've ever had! He's extremely animated in lecture and genuinely cares about what he's lecturing on. The class moves pretty quickly but it's not that hard- the midterm was a 5 page double spaced paper (that was graded pretty much on effort), and the final wasn't too hard either. I got an A, and if you go to discussion and pay attention in class, it's an EASY A. Get Naindeep Chann as your TA if you can!!

two words: GREAT PROFESSOR! really knows his material and knows how to articulate it. Midterm and final were fair. Goes over all of India's History up to 1947. Makes most of his lectures entertaining and are always can be podcasted if you missed or want to review some of the material. He was the best professor that I have ever had. I strongly recommend this class to anyone who is able to take him even though there is a lot of reading.